Drought Orders Hold Lawn Irrigation to One Day a Week

Two blue-green algae alerts are active in the broader region, and the drought orders governing lawn irrigation across Lake and Polk counties are unchanged.

Worth Knowing

The Florida Department of Health in Flagler County issued a health alert for Haw Creek, the confluence at Dead Lake, and Crescent Lake, based on a water sample taken May 26. DOH–Palm Beach flagged blue-green algae at Lake Okeechobee's S352 structure on June 3, with sample testing underway. Neither bloom is on a Central Florida lake. DOH advises that some cyanobacteria species produce toxins that cause skin rash and gastrointestinal illness.

St. Johns River Water Management District has most of Lake County under a Phase III Water Shortage Order. SWFWMD, which covers Polk, Tampa, Clearwater, and the Gulf Coast, remains in Modified Phase III Extreme Water Shortage. That holds lawn irrigation to one day per week through July 1, including homes on private wells.